--- title: "Today in military history: First Medal of Honor of Vietnam War awarded" date: "2021-12-05" modified: "2023-12-05" authors: - name: "Team Mighty" job_title: "Author" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/teammighty.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/today-in-military-history-army-captain-awarded-first-medal-of-honor-of-vietnam-war/" categories: - "History" --- # Today in military history: First Medal of Honor of Vietnam War awarded ![]() On Dec. 5, 1964, Captain Roger Donlon was awarded the first Medal of Honor for action in the [Vietnam War.]() Five months earlier on July 6, 1964, Captain Donlon of the U.S. Army was manning Camp Nam Dong near Laos and North Vietnam when he and his Special Forces team were attacked by the Viet Cong. https://youtu.be/QNu43ph7JF8 Encountering a massive force, Donlon coordinated countermeasures with his men while the enemy announced over a P.A. system instructing the South Vietnamese troops to lay down their weapons as they only wanted to kill the Americans. At this point, many of the VC sympathizers did as the P.A. voice commanded them. Moments later, Donlon spotted a zapper — or an enemy infiltrator — attempting to breach the front gate. He dashed toward them for a closer shot, but as he engaged his rifle — he realized he was out of ammo. He quickly yelled to a mortar pit nearby for a resupply. They tossed him new rounds —still in their cardboard box. Without hesitation, Donlon loaded three rounds into his magazine and successfully engaged the enemy. Facing a force of hundreds against the U.S. and ARVN dozens, Donlon and his men all agreed not to quit, and they would fight it out until the end. That commitment drove Donlon to continue to coordinate defenses while running from position to position, resupplying his men. After five long hours and sustaining heavy losses, the Allied forces managed to render a victory and hold their base camp. He was shot in the stomach but he staunched the bleeding with his belt and a scrap of fabric and kept fighting. He was wounded repeatedly but continued to fight, launching mortar rounds and grenades at the hordes of attackers. When the battle was won, 154 Viet Cong were dead, along with at least 50 South Vietnamese soldiers and Nung mercenaries and two Americans. Donlon was evacuated to a hospital in Saigon, where he spent a month in recovery before completing his six-month tour with his men. To date, 261 Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor for action during the Vietnam War, at least 150 of them posthumously. ## Author Team Mighty's experience encompasses intel, special ops, military history, tactical expertise, aviation, gear, and weapons. Authors on Team Mighty include veterans, spouses, and active and reserve service members from every branch of the military, as well as former CIA employees. ## More - [Why Roger Donlon was the first Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam]() - [The first Medal of Honor in modern Army aviation history came in Vietnam]() - [Today in military history: First major US combat of Vietnam War]() - [It took this Green Beret 48 years to get the Medal of Honor he deserved]() - [Veterans call on Congress to award the ‘Puerto Rican Rambo’ the Medal of Honor]() - [This is the only Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor]() - [Medal of Honor Month: SFC Bennie Gene Adkins]() - [A Medal of Honor recipient tore his way through Vietnam while being stalked by a tiger]()